Politics and sports have often mixed, in a somewhat controversial cocktail--think Mohammed Ali.
But athletes are also private citizens, passionate about their beliefs and entitled to their opinions. And some tennis players are opening up and making their opinions heard, while other issues play themselves out on the court.
Here in the States, James Blake has been a fan of Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama, reading one of the Illinois Senator’s books, “Dreams from My Father.”
On the international front, just recently Novak Djokovic, now a hero in his native Serbia, attended a rally in Belgrade, where he made a speech against Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia. He also appeared on a television program, where he mentioned his disapproval of the state’s attempted dissolution from Serbia, itself a republic of the former Yugoslavia.
"Kosovo is part of Serbia. It’s part of our country... I know the [history] but I don’t want to talk about that. It was Serbian. And for me it is Serbian, and always will be," he said in Dubai last week. "My father came from there. My uncle and most of my family lived there for a long time. I have been there many times."
While some players, such as Justine Henin, have made statements that sports and politics should not mix, Djokovic highlighted the importance of being involved.
"I wasn’t interested in politics but this is not only politics, this is something really serious."
While drawing some controversy, Djokovic’s comments did not draw as much backlash as those of Marcos Baghdatis earlier this year.
After a video of Baghdatis chanting anti-Turkish sentiments at a barbeque held by the Hellas Fan Club, a political group, surfaced on the internet during the Australian Open in January, Baghdatis came under fire. Though he refused to apologize, he did issue a statement defending his views.
“In that video from 2007 I was supporting the interest of my country, Cyprus, while protesting against a situation that is not recognized by the United Nations,” referring to the Turkish minority who occupy a part of northern Cyprus, but lack true political autonomy, due to a vote against the proposition by Greek-Cypriots in a 2004 referendum.
“Now I would like to concentrate on the tournament and ask everyone to respect that. I love the Australian Open and want to do well here," he concluded.
But while it appears at times that the world is growing apart rather than closer together, there are a few rainbows in the sky. In February, Shahar Peer became the first Israeli athlete to compete in a sanctioned event in Qatar, a Muslim country in the Persian Gulf. Israelis previously had visa issues when attempting to enter certain Middle Eastern countries, a reflection of the region's continuing conflict between Israel and Palestine, but Peer received a warm reception.
Sania Mirza, a Muslim, partnered with Peer last year in doubles events, just as Israeli Amir Hadad and Pakistani Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi paired up at Wimbledon in 2002, a first at the time. The duo earned the ATP's Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award for promoting "tolerance through tennis" in February 2003.
While the debate continues on where and when politics and sports should mix—if at all—tennis remains an international sport and thus, while the lines on the court are clearly called, the political and personal lines will continue to blur.